PR WINNER OF THE WEEK: A (PR PERFECT) to Adele for reportedly declining a seven-figure offer from publisher HarperCollins to write a memoir. The 24-year old superstar allegedly described herself as wanting to live a bit more before chronicling her life – imagine that! In turning down the deal, Adele is taking a different tack than many of her peers, including Miley Cyrus, who penned a tell-all at 16; Justin Bieber, who at 19 has two memoirs under his belt; and, at 28, ancient Katy Perry, whose autobiography is due out this year. Kudos to Adele for wisely realizing that she’ll likely have a more interesting story to tell – and sell – in a few years’ time.

PR LOSER OF THE WEEK: “F” (FULL FIASCO) to the PR team for Christine Lagarde of the IMF. Red faces at the PR office of Lagarde, who failed to make the recent list of Time Magazine’s top 100 people. The usual suspects were there, including Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, and even Chrstina Aguilera of talent reality show The Voice. But the rariefied list strangely didn’t include the widely travelled head of the IMF, who has been busy trying to save the euro and halt the ongoing European banking crisis. We doubt it bothered Lagarde herself, but it was a curious omission that someone in the IMF PR department might want to take a look at before the next staff meeting.

THE PRV “THERE’S NO ‘THERE’ THERE” AWARD TO Bradley Cooper. The actor voted “Sexiest Man Alive” by People in 2011 has just given an interview to Details that was immediately picked up by surprised media everywhere. The news hook? Bradley lives with his mom. Apparently he moved in with his mother Gloria following the death of his father two years ago and since then, they live in rooms next door to one another. Admirable though that may be, it does work against some of the PR positioning as one of Hollywood’s leading men. Explaining to Details, Cooper said, “She’s in the next room. But here’s the thing: She’s a cool chick. We can hang, and she can roll with the punches.” Bradley’s PR presumably winced when reading…

The PR Verdict: “D” for Greece’s political class on selling austerity.

A collective sigh of relief reverberated across financial markets this weekend, as Greece approved its latest round of austerity measures. The measures are tough and include savage cuts in wages, pensions and a radical restructuring of outdated work practices.

While financial markets gave the changes a “thumbs-up” Greeks have given them a resounding “thumbs-down”. Protestors in the capital have been rioting, with violent clashes reported throughout the country. Greeks are enraged about the level of sacrifice required and are pointing to Germany, the IMF and banks as the chief culprits.

The PR Verdict: “D” for Greece’s political class on selling these measures. It’s time Greece’s political class activated an educative PR plan.

A national campaign is needed where mutual sacrifice and the sharing of burdens are the order of the day. Start by enlisting the support of Greek intellectuals, celebrities and thought leaders to explain and personally describe, the sacrifices they are making for the greater good. For some pointers why not look at previous national propaganda programs that demanded sacrifices of their citizenry? History tells us it has been done before.

How would you convince the Greek population that sacrifice is for the long-term good? Leave a comment and share your idea.